Leave the rim alone; Tim Hortons contest boycotted

Tim Hortons' popular "Roll up the Rim" contest leads to massive amounts of undue waste, says one B.C. university student who's organized a boycott against the company.

Dave Korzinski, who attends UBC Okanagan, says 23 billion coffee cups wind up in landfills every year – and many of Tim Hortons' promotional cups never touch a drop of coffee.

That's because during the company's annual promotion, even if you use a mug, you get a cup.

"I think Tim Hortons is neglecting their responsibility," said Korzinski, who wants an alternative for the environmentally conscious.

"Maybe have a pull-tab or something that has the same one-in-six chance of winning," he said. "You don't have to go through and take a medium-sized cup and throw it in the garbage."

So far, Korzinksi's cause hasn't garnered much support. His Facebook group had amassed a humble 200 members by Sunday afternoon, and his online petition had received less than 100 signatures.

But Korzinski's not discouraged, and has put out further challenges to the company to reveal the source of its coffee beans and switch over to compostable cups all year round.

Tim Hortons has yet to comment on his campaign. Its website points out that the current cups are recyclable in limited jurisdictions, though Deanne Stephenson of Cascade Waste Systems says it's not easy to find one.

Neither Vancouver nor Toronto is on the list, she said.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Kent Molgat

Photos

Tim Hortons launched their 24th annual "roll up the rim to win" campaign on March 1, 2010, the same day McDonald's began offering their customers free coffee for two weeks.